RBC: Telegram blocking is connected with Durov’s plans to create a crypto currency

The true reason for the blockage of the Telegram messenger was the desire of the founder of the messenger Pavel Durov to launch his own crypto currency. This is stated in a letter from an employee of the 12th FSB center (supervises, among other issues, SORM) of Roman Antipkin, which he sent to colleagues on April 18, a copy of the letter is from RBC.

Colleagues, but history is not at all about it, as you do not understand! History is not about keys and terrorism […]. Pasha Durov decided to become a new Mavrodi. Having launched our crypt, we in Russia will receive a completely uncontrolled financial system. And this is not bitcoin for marginalized people, it will be simple, reliable and uncontrollable. This is a threat to the security of the country […]. All the drugs, naked, trade bodies will go through Pashin kriptu, and he will say: “I have nothing to do, forbid words, they are used by terrorists.”

Roman Antipkin

employee of the 12th FSB center

The authenticity of the letter to RBC was confirmed by a federal official and top manager of an unnamed telecom operator, as well as an interviewee of the publication in one of the non-governmental organizations. According to market participants and officials, Antipkin repeatedly represented the 12th FSB center at various meetings, including the implementation of the Yarovoy package.

Антипкин has refused to make comments on the letter and has declared, that “does not understand”, about what the correspondent of RBC speaks. The FSB public relations center and Pavel Durov did not respond to the publication’s request.

In December 2017, it became known that the owner of Telegram Pavel Durov intends to launch on his messenger basis his own blockbuster platform Telegram Open Network (TON) and the Crypto currency Gram. In February 2018, Telegram attracted $ 850 million from 81 investors. According to the media, one of them was a businessman Roman Abramovich. By March 2018, the project collected 1.7 billion dollars.

Roskomnadzor began to try to block Telegram on April 16. Since that time, therehave been many interruptions in the work of many sites that did not violate the law. The newspaper Kommersant found out that on April 18 the agency held a meeting with Internet providers, discussing more effective ways of blocking the messenger, but so far no solution has been found.